AutoFocus: Self Portraiture in Contemporary Photography
I’m pleased to announce that my work is going to be featured and discussed in the upcoming international publication entitled AutoFocus: Self Portraiture in Contemporary Photography edited by Susan Bright and published by Thames and Hudson (UK).
‘An intriguing new survey … a feast of elaborate photographic reinvention’ – The Observer
Lavishly illustrated and accessible, this dazzling array of photographs by seventy-five of the world’s foremost contemporary photographers focuses on self-portraiture.
From intimate images of introspection and those that challenge notions of ethnicity and sexuality, to dramatic, stylized photographs of dream-like scenarios, Auto Focus shows how one of the longest-established artistic genres continues to fascinate artists today.
Susan Bright provides a clear guide for readers through this significant and dynamic genre, showing how issues of identity – whether national, sexual, racial, personal or artistic – are key to understanding the work of many of today’s leading photographers.
The survey is clearly organized into five themes that deal with
• diaristic and autobiographical images
• pictures of the body
• the use of masks and masquerade
• the return to studio portraiture and the photographic album
• performance, public and private
An illustrated introduction to the book points to the history of the photographic self-portrait from the 1840s to the late twentieth century, providing an invaluable context for the recent surge in artists’ images of themselves.
Susan Bright is a curator and writer. She has taught extensively and has convened major international conferences and seminars on many aspects of art and photography. She was formerly Assistant Curator of Photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, London, Curator at the Association of Photographers and Acting Director for the MA Photography (Historic and Contemporary) at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London. Exhibitions and catalogues include ‘Something out of Nothing’ (Fotogalleriet, Oslo), ‘How We Are: Photographing Britain’ (Tate Britain, London) and ‘Face of Fashion’ (National Portrait Gallery, London).’
Artists featured in the publication include:
Tarek Al-Ghoussein; Shokoufeh Alidousti; Anas Al-Shaikh; Ananké Asseff; Walead Beshty; Sian Bonnell; Slater Bradley; Elina Brotherus; Ana Casas Broda; Nick Cave; Serge Comte; Kelli Connell; Janieta Eyre; Thomas; Florschuetz; Joan Fontcuberta; Samuel Fosso; Anna Fox; LaToya Ruby; Frazier Gaüeca; Nan Goldin; Marnix Goossens; Aneta Grzeszykowska; Sunil Gupta; Jeff Harris; Lyle Ashton Harris; Anita Khemka; Shigeyuki Kihara; Oleg Kulik; Charles Latham; Nikki S. Lee; Hew Locke; Melanie Manchot; Malerie Marder; Annu Palakunnathu Matthew; Boris Mikhailov; Arno Rafael Minkkinen; Tracey Moffatt; Rod Morata; Yasumasa Morimura; Trish Morrissey; My Little Dead Dick; Yurie Nagashima; Ni Haifeng; Susanne Nørregård Nielsen; Ken Ohara; Lisa Ohlweiler; Catherine Opie; Tatsumi Orimoto; Chino Otsuka; Florence Paradeis; Tatiana Parcero; Martin Parr; Paul+a; Dita Pepe; Shannon Plumb; Julie Pochron; Airyka Rockefeller; Tracey Rose; Nanna Saarhelo’ Tomoko Sawada; Zineb Sedira; Jo Seub; Siya Singh; Jemima Stehli; Camilla Sune; Vibeke Tandberg; Sam Taylor-Wood; Christian Thompson; Danny Treacy; Gillian Wearing; Erwin Wurm; Noriko Yamaguchi; Kimiko Yoshida; Zhang Huan and Zhu Ming.
